Fish-trap



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT GRAY, OF ANISON, MAINE.

FISH-TRAP.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 22.644, dated January 18, 1359.

' the aceompailyingl drawings, making' a part ot' this speeiicatioi'l, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the trap; Fig'. 2, a horizontal section of the throat and adjacent parts, and Fig'. Il a perspective view of the strainer.

In Figs. l. and 2, a. b' l l' are the ground-sills A' B B' l; rt', the top beams, and c c c' c' c' are the posts of the frame. In Fig'. l, 0 o o are fixed sla-ts, and T T' the vibratingr slats. S S' are springs. Ois the cover to the chamber, which is retained in its position by the bar, and r' is the stop-rod. In Fig. 3, D is the top piece. ol" the strainer; c, the cross-bar; d d, the nprights, and j", pierced with holes g g g, is the bottom ot the strainer. V V V' is the chamber. m n p y w X zz' are thepoints where the `top beams are framed to each other.

In constructing my trap I frame one end of into A', as at m, one end of c' into A', as at y. "lhe iree end ot' B is then framed into a', as at w, c.' proiecting' alittle beyond, as in Fig'. 1. Between A' and c', and at a distarice of about one toot vfrom the bar B, I place B', one end ot' which iframes into A', as at'n, so that B' may be parallel to 1?, with i) parallel to a'. l frame one ot' the ,ends ot b into A', as at p. Then, after crossing' B', as Vat X, their free ends are framed into c.' and respectively, as at r." and Through ll' and I', at X, (their crossing-'Q I bore a hole 'l'cr the insertion ot' the rod 'a'. In '.tnianner precisely similar to thatin which l l'rametogetherA', agli, l5', and b, Ialso frame together A, i, 1.', n, and Il'. I then take a piece ot' timber olf long-'th sul'lieicnt to reach from the bottoni ol" the stream to'its surtaee, frame it in between n. and n", where they project be. youd i' and l, as posto' between c and c', Fig. l. ln like manner I''rnme in i'onr0therp0sts, c c at in y, and c and C' at 'n and 1). I next malte slats or rods o o o o o o o 0 o, strong A enough to uithstand the current of the Stream and longl enough to reach from A to A', (or the length oi' the posts between shoulders,)

and tix them vertically and at such distance apart as to allow the water, and not the fish, to pass between them, in the iollowing spaces, viz: between B and l' through their entire length, between a and a' from w to y, between B and l from n, Fig. l, to slat T', Fig'. 2, be-

tween I) and b' from g'roundsill A or p, Fig. 1, to slat T, Fig'. 2, and between A and A' the two spaces between c and cand c and c. Tllus I surround the chamber V V V' with Slat-work, the slats being all firmly fixed, excepting at the throat of the trap, where I place two slats, T T', which vibrate upon pivots at their edges which look toward the mouth ot' the trap, and by which pivots they are attached to the sills Zand b' below and the beams B' and b above. The edges ol' these sla-ts nearest the letter X form the throat of the trap, and are allowed to come so near together as not to allow the fish to pass between them without pressing` them apart, and they are retained in this position by springs S and S', or other contrivance of sufficient force to return them to their places when pressed asunder, and not-to prevent the lish from forcing' its way between them in entering` the trap.

To construct the strainer, Fig. 3. I use a piece of board or other substance, j', ot' sut'- ticient area to nearly cover the bottom ot' that portion ofthe chamber marked V', Fi e'. l., and

pierced with holes g g g g, so as to let water through, but not the fish. I attach to this two uprights, (I. d, of about the length ot' slats o o o, To the tops ot these uprights I secure the top piece D, and at about midway between D and j' I insert the cross-bar c between the uprights d and f1.

To use this trap, place it in the sueam with its mouth faciing,` the direction whence the iish are expected to come. Sink it to the bottom and confine it there by any convenient means. Level the bed of the stream up to the bottom of the tra-p by tilling in stones o1' by driving,r piles or otherwise to prevent the lish from passing under the trap. Run afe11ee,\.'all, or dam from the posts c and c to each shore, so as t0 prevent the tish from passing' between' the tra-p andshore. Sink the strainer-basefto the bottom of chamber Y', withdraw the rod i, and the trap is set.

In trying to pass along the stream the [ish -will enter theI month ot' the trap,

,eo along' to the'throat, press through between the vbrat- I Y ing slats T T' and enter theohztmber V V V',

VVhet I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The st rainelgrFig. 3, the vibrating slats T T', and the V- shped chambers V V', all in the manner and for the purposes substantially as set forth in the :tbove specification.

ROBERT GRAY.

Witnesses: i

SAMUEL BUNKER, M. S. AYER. 

